A convoy carrying life-saving medical supplies to health facilities in Gaza City comes under fire, injuring a driver.
According to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), a humanitarian aid convoy came under fire in Gaza City.
Two trucks were damaged and a driver was slightly injured when the ICRC convoy carrying “life-saving medical supplies to health facilities, including the Palestinian Red Crescent Society’s Al-Quds Hospital” was hit by fire, the medical NGO said on Tuesday with.
The ICRC said it was “deeply disturbed” by the incident and reminded the warring parties “of their obligation under international humanitarian law to respect and protect humanitarian workers at all times.”
The statement did not name the source of the fire in the convoy, which consisted of five trucks and two ICRC vehicles.
We are deeply concerned that our humanitarian convoy came under fire in Gaza City today. It transported life-saving medical supplies to health facilities, including Al-Quds @PalestineRCS Hospital.
Under international humanitarian law, humanitarian workers must be protected.
👇 https://t.co/sUcbJlkXYL— ICRC in Israel and OT (@ICRC_ilot) November 7, 2023
After the incident, the convoy changed its route to reach al-Shifa hospital, where it delivered medical supplies, the ICRC said.
The convoy then accompanied six ambulances carrying seriously injured patients to the Rafah border crossing from Gaza to Egypt.
“These are not the conditions in which humanitarian personnel can work,” said William Schomburg, head of the ICRC sub-delegation in Gaza.
“Ensuring that vital assistance can reach medical facilities is a legal obligation under international humanitarian law.”
The ICRC, a neutral organization based in Geneva, has escorted patients and transported freed prisoners from Gaza.
According to Gaza health authorities, Israeli bombardment has killed more than 10,000 Palestinians since October 7, about 40 percent of them children.
According to the United Nations, almost two-thirds of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents are internally displaced. Thousands are seeking refuge in hospitals, including in makeshift tent shelters in their parking lots.
Hospitals across the enclave have come under fire, with many struggling to maintain operations due to fuel and medicine shortages.
According to the United Nations, health, sanitation, water and food supplies in the Gaza Strip are nearing “breaking point.”